Honorable Mentions

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Five that came oh, so close

HONDA GL1500 GOLD WING SE

We know, some of you think only a pack of lunatics would pick anything but the Gold Wing as Best Touring Bike. Up to a point, we sympathize. We will at least concede that the Wing is worthy of honorable mention. This, friends, is a macro motorcycle, Kong of the motorcycle world. If you must have a fully equipped touring bike, it is the only logical choice. The reasons for that are manifold: The GL1500 is true to its name, a two-wheeled wing that transports its riders, and every accouterment they could hope to haul, anywhere they might want to go. It does so in style and comfort. It’s very powerful, extremely well developed, and, for its size, surprisingly nimble. Lastly, the excellence of the bike’s components, and the way they all fit and work, is such that the bike sparkles with quality. If luxo-touring is your thing, this is the bike to do it on.

YAMAHA YZF750R

Building a sportbike is no easy matter, not if the machine in question has to pass muster in real-world use. For what works well in the curves often doesn’t work quite so well in civilization’s concrete canyons. But Yamaha’s YZF750R does pass muster. And most everything else. Using engine architecture roughly comparable to that of the other Japanese 750s, the YZF makes lots of horsepower and torque, and does so smoothly, over a wide rpm range. So you keep an eye on the speedometer. You’re going a lot faster than you think you are. No matter where it’s being ridden, the bike’s balance of handling, nimbleness and power shines through. The YZF was our choice for competing in the Daytona 200, and it’s also our favorite 750cc repli-racer of 1994.

HONDA CBR900RR

This motorcycle is a revelation. It launches like a 30.06 round, handles like a GP racer, and it has top-shelf fit and finish. Most importantly, it costs about nine grand. We recognize that $9000 is an important chunk of loot. But it buys an important chunk of motorcycle. Don’t be put off by the smoothness of the bike’s controls, or the tractability of its engine. The CBR is as much a commuter as a Team Penske Indycar. Nothing about this bike coddles the rider. It is demanding and uncompromising, and will reward the rider that is equally uncompromising and demanding, especially if he has the skills to extract all of the CBR’s performance. With the possible exception of the Ducati 916, this is as close as you can get to a GP bike for the street. If that doesn’t earn an honorable mention, we don’t know what does.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON ROAD KING

Everybody, it seems, has his favorite from Harley-Davidson’s bounteous stable. This one is ours. The Road King is the latest H-D retro warrior, a machine made to mimic not only the style, but also the substance, of Harley’s 1950s dressers. This bike mixes yesterday’s style with today’s technology, and the result is entirely salubrious. The lazy lope of the big V-Twin engine carries the bike effortlessly down the road, with the quick-release windshield providing just enough relief from wind, rain and bugs. The seats are comfortable, the saddlebags fairly roomy and the vibration almost nonexistent. Yep, we can imagine Elvis aboard this bike. We can imagine ourselves aboard it, too, traveling for the sake of traveling. It brings out our wanderlust, and any bike capable of doing that is worthy of an honorable mention.

KAWASAKI KLX250

With a top-flight chassis that includes absolutely terrific suspension, the KLX250 fell out of the running for Best Enduro Bike only because of one detail. That detail, not really a minor one, involves its engine. The little KLX uses a four-stroke engine. The most competitive enduro bikes use two-strokes. That’s important because two-strokes make more power than Thumpers. This bike nevertheless gets mentioned honorably not only because of what it is, but because of what it represents. Sad to say, but it’s only a matter of time before two-stroke trailbikes become illegal to sell in the U.S. It could happen as early as 1997 in some states. When it does, off-road riders will need to recalibrate themselves to accommodate what’s available. What’s available now is the KLX250, and that’s a pretty good start.